On Tuesday, many large North Texas school districts 鈥� from Dallas to Denton 鈥� welcomed parents and students.
The start of the year also brings dozens of new state laws on everything from cell phone use to library materials.
House Bill 1481 requires school boards to adopt policies that keep phones and other personal electronic devices 鈥� like smart watches and laptops 鈥� out of students鈥� hands during class. The law doesn鈥檛 go into effect until Sept. 1, but many districts have already set their new policies in time for the new school year.
Dallas ISD elementary students鈥� phones will be held in a school鈥檚 secure location, while middle and high school students鈥� phones will be locked in a soft pouch all day, then unlocked when school鈥檚 over.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told reporters Tuesday morning she鈥檚 aware some parents wanted their child鈥檚 smart phone easily accessible in case of an emergency. But she said phones might sometimes increase risks, especially in emergencies.
鈥淲hen we're asking students and teachers to... actually be quiet and to put themselves in a lockdown kind of situation,鈥� explained Elizalde, 鈥渃ell phones can actually provide sometimes a location for someone who may not have good intent.鈥�
Elizalde urged parents to update all electronic contact information, because in case of an emergency, the district will update parents as an event evolves.
Another controversial law, Senate Bill 10, calls for a poster of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom. Elizalde said the district will follow all laws, but she still needed more information from the Texas Education Agency SB10, which remains in litigation.
鈥淭hose posters actually have to have been donated in order for those to actually go up in our classrooms,鈥� Elizalde said. 鈥淪o at this time, we're not required to post them. And so we will be awaiting further guidance. No one should expect to see those right now.鈥�
She said she also wants more guidance on Senate Bill 12, which eliminates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
In Dallas ISD, more than 70% of students are Hispanic and nearly 20% are African American, according to state data.
鈥淲e want to make sure that parents give us permission when we're 鈥sking students particular survey questions,鈥� Elizalde said. 鈥淲e'll be communicating with our parents, asking them to give us consent for surveys that may be more in depth.鈥�
She said teachers can still ask kids how they鈥檙e doing as they enter school.
鈥淲e want to make sure,鈥� said Elizalde, 鈥渢hat all our kids are getting the kind of support from our counselors that they may need.鈥�
She also wanted to assure parents that Dallas schools will be safe from once-rumored raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
鈥淚CE agents cannot come into a school building and simply just wander the halls,鈥� Elizalde said. 鈥淒allas ISD will not allow it. And we have not had that situation occur, but I want to reinforce that that's not something that we would allow.鈥�
As with any new school year, Elizalde also bragged on district successes. She said nearly every school vacancy districtwide had been filled. She said staffing鈥檚 at more than 99.4%, adding 鈥渢hat is the highest fill rate we have had since 2014.鈥�
After the district鈥檚 last A-F rating fell from a B to a C, Elizalde said school scores have improved.
鈥淢ore than 93% of all schools in Dallas ISD are rated A, B, or C, and 72% of them are A's and B's," she said.
The 2024 and 2025 district and school letter grades are due out on Friday.
Bill Zeeble is 四虎影院鈥檚 education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X .
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider . Thank you.
